Troublemakers
by Kem'Ajiana
Summary: "This is why kits should stay in the nursery. Otherwise, they cause a lot of trouble." Oneshot challenge courtesy of Jayfeather12345 of Darkclan. Rainkit and Sootkit find aid from a strange Shadowclan warrior after an adventure leaves them stranded away from camp on a cold leaf-fall night.


_Troublemakers_

_By: Kem'Ajiana_

Summary: "This is why kits should stay in the nursery. Otherwise, they cause a lot of trouble." Oneshot challenge courtesy of Jayfeather12345 of Darkclan. Rainkit and Sootkit find aid from a strange Shadowclan warrior after an adventure leaves them stranded away from camp on a cold leaf-fall night.

* * *

One-Shot

Characters: (in order of importance)

_Rainkit- Dappled, silver-gray tabby she-cat with green eyes_

_Sootkit- Dark gray, almost black, tom with amber eyes_

_Robinthroat- Silver tom with wide green eyes_

_Moonfrost- Pale gray she-cat_

_Hawksky- Dark brown tabby tom_

_Goldenpaw- Golden-brown tabby she-cat with pale green eyes_

_Darkpaw- Brown-black tabby she-cat_

* * *

It was dusk, the sun setting on the horizon and the first stars beginning to appear in the darkening sky. Wind rattled through the heavy tree boughs and leaves drifted downwards, speckling the forest floor with splashes of red and yellow. Leaf-fall was upon the forest, and, with the changing colors of the leaves, came the first bite of leaf-bare.

Rainkit shivered alongside her brother, pressing her silver-gray pelt against his darker gray, ears pressed back against her head. She could hear the sounds of things moving about in the undergrowth, and swore to Starclan she'd seen the face of an owl. Her heart thumped wildly, aching for her mother and the protection of the Nursery. Sootkit pressed more firmly into her, and she allowed herself to be comforted by him; Sootkit would never allow anything to happen to her.

As night fully settled, the moon lit the forest floor with its silvery light, and Rainkit could see stones rising up ahead of them. She nosed her brother, and they got unsteadily to their paws, staggering to the shelter of the rocks. They were still warm from the sun's heat, and offered some shelter from the chilly wind. As Sootkit poked his nose in, he froze, fur rising in fear. A cat emerged from the den, looking somewhat upset at the arrival of two uninvited intruders.

The cat, silver in the moonlight with eyes wide as the moon, looked down at them, blinking green eyes to see them more clearly. "Well, what are you two little ones doing here?"

Sootkit and Rainkit staggered backwards, bumping into one another. "Are...are you going to eat us? I heard loners eat kits like us."

.He chuckled. "No, no of course not. It is not your times to die," he soothed in his deep, rumbling voice. Waving his tail, he motioned to the cave. "Would you like to come in and rest?"

For a moment, the two kits looked unhappy, worried, and apprehensive. Finally, Rainkit spoke up. "Will you help us find our home tomorrow?"

"Of course," he murmured, stepping aside to allow the kits in. "I am Robinthroat. What are your names, little ones?"

Sootkit blinked up at him. "Sootkit and Rainkit. You're a warrior?"

Robinthroat stepped back, shaking his head. "I _was_. I was from Shadowclan. Are you the two kits that Thunderclan has been searching for all day?"

"They were looking for us?" Rainkit squeaked.

"Of course," the tom murmured. "You're clan kits. They returned to camp for the night, but they said something about searching again in the morning. You can stay here tonight, and I will take you back tomorrow."

Rainkit sighed. "Did you see our mother, Moonfrost?" she mewed. "She looks like me..."

"Or our father, Hawksky? He's big, and brown," added her brother. "I wish they were here right now."

The strange tom nodded his head. "The deputy? Yes. Yes, I saw him. He seemed very upset." As he watched Rainkit and Sootkit snuggle up against one another, he asked, "Why did you leave camp without your mother, little kits?"

Sootkit snorted. "It was Rainkit's idea. Stupid mousebrain."

For once, Rainkit looked beside herself with sorrow. "I wanted to see the lake. But, we got lost, and couldn't find our way back."

Robinthroat nodded, pitying them. "T_his is why kits should stay in the nursery. Otherwise, they cause a lot of trouble."_ He drew a tongue over his paw, and Rainkit watched him.

"Well," she countered. "Why aren't _you_ with _your_ clan? Aren't they looking for you?"

The tom paused, looking down at the innocent she-kit with a gleam in his bright, wide eyes. "You should sleep, little Rainkit. I am sure that you will want to tell all your clan of the struggles you faced out in the forest tonight."

Rainkit glared at him hard before her mouth parted and she yawned, tongue rolling. "Okay," she mewed as she tucked into herself, leaning against her brother. "You know," she whispered as she began to fall into sleep. "you don't smell like any cat I've ever seen."

XXXXX

The next morning, Rainkit and Sootkit were jerked awake by the sounds of thundering pawsteps. Four figures stood at the entrance to the cave, peering in. Goldenpaw and Darkpaw exclaimed in happiness as Moonfrost snatched up Sootkit from where he sat, bathing his filthy face with her loving tongue. Rainkit stepped, blinking from the den, looking up at Hawksky. Her father, and deputy, stared down at her with relief shining in his eyes, and he reached down and plucked her up from the ground.

The six cats traveled home, back to Thunderclan's camp, and, when asked, told the story of how Robinthroat, the strange Shadowclan warrior, had rescued them by letting them sleep in his cave. When their story was finished, however, Darkpaw simply stared at them in confusion.

"What other cat do you mean? There was no other scent than the two of yours..."


End file.
